Assessment of potential effects on instream habitat with reduced flows in the Hutt River at Kaitoke Prepared for Greater Wellington Water Prepared by Dr Henry R Hudson Environmental Management Associates Hutt River at Silverstream Environmental Management Associates October 2010 Hutt River Instream Habitat i Citation: Hudson, H.R. 2010. Assessment of potential effects on ins tream habitat with reduced flows in the Hutt River at Kaitoke . E nvironmental Management Associates , Chris tchurch. Report 2010-06. 103 pages. Summary This report is an amalgamation of previous reports, reviews and discussions with stakeholders, concerning effects on instream habitat with a reduction in streamflow below the Kaitoke water intake on the Hutt River. The Kaitoke take has been in operation since 1957. Prior to 2001 there was no minimum flow requirement at Kaitoke (river km 42), but the Regional Fresh Water Plan (RFWP, WRC 1999) specified a minimum flow of 1200 L/s at Birchville (river km 26) and a minimum flow at Kaitoke of 600 L/s. The Birchville minimum flow was based on a hydraulic habitat analysis at Birchville. The Kaitoke minimum flow is speculative. It is proposed to reduce the minimum flow at Kaitoke Weir from 600 L/s to 400 L/s for a 3 year period to provide additional water while the Stuart Macaskill Lakes are drained for seismic enhancement and increasing storage capacity. The maximum allowable take will remain unchanged at 1850 L/s and the scheme will shut down in high flows as at present. The emphasis of the instream flow assessment has been on the lower reaches below Birchville where the greatest numbers of medium and large trout are reported. Over ten surveys the median number of trout increases downstream from ~9 medium and large trout in the upper reaches (Kaitoke and Te Marua) to 36 in the middle reaches (Birchville and Whakatikei) and 61 per km in the lower reaches (Heretaunga, Taita, Avalon and Melling). Based on existing hydraulic habitat surveys at Birchville (km 26), Silverstream (km 15), Taita (km 13) and Melling (km 4), with adult brown trout or food producing habitat as critical values, I found the following hydraulic-habitat relations using the model RHYHABSIM: Lowering the minimum flow specified on the Kaitoke Weir abstraction consent to 400 L/s would maintain the 1200 L/s minimum flow at Birchville specified in the RFWP (the RFWP is based on retention of 66% of habitat); Taking a far more conservative view, with a Birchville flow of 2250 L/s at least 90% of the adult trout and/or food production habitat available at the existing mean annual low flow (MALF) will be retained throughout the system for at least 96% of the time with the proposed reduction in minimum flows at Kaitoke; With a Birchville flow of 2700 L/s at least 90% of the naturalised MALF (N-MALF) habitat can be retained throughout the system for at least 93% of the time with the proposed reduction in minimum flows at Kaitoke; and Hudson 2010. Environmental Management Associates Report 2010-06 Hutt River Instream Habitat ii Reducing the minimum flow at Kaitoke Weir from 600 L/s to 400 L/s will have no material effect on food production habitat availability at the existing or naturalised median flow. In addition, for the 5800 m reach of the Hutt River between Birchville and the gorge, effects of reduction in flows were assessed using the 100 rivers brown trout abundance model. The trout abundance model predictions align with observed long term average trout counts throughout the river. Reducing the existing MALF by 200 L/s is predicted to reduce trout counts by 1 to 2 large and medium trout per kilometre. This is not considered to be material in the context of the large natural variation in the number of trout which is probably attributable to flooding events which can devastate young, medium and large trout. There is a strong relationship between measured water temperature at Te Marua, Birchville and Taita, and solar radiation with pronounced variability with cloud cover, time of day and season. Water temperature changes with additional flow abstraction were modelled in RHYHABSIM using Birchville hydraulics and local climatic inputs. Additional abstraction is expected to change water temperatures less than 1ºC in the 30 km below the gorge. A reduced minimum flow at Kaitoke will have no material effect on the high flows required for channel formation and channel maintenance. The existing flow regime is very flashy, with significant, frequent bed disturbance. It is concluded that the effects of the reduction in minimum flows from 600 L/s to 400 L/s over a three year period at the Kaitoke water intake is no more than minor. The information in this report and any accompanying documentation is accurate to the best of the knowledge and belief of the Cons ultant acting on behalf of Greater Wellington Water (GWW). While the Cons ultant has exercis ed all reas onable skill and care in the preparation of information in this report, neither the Cons ultant nor GWW accept any liability in contract, tort or otherwis e for any loss , damage, injury or expens e, whether direct, indirect or cons equential, arising out of the provision of information in this report. Hudson 2010. Environmental Management Associates Report 2010-06 Hutt River Instream Habitat iii Table of Contents 1 SITUATION ANALYSIS 7 1.1 Water supply issues 7 1.2 Approach 9 1.3 Outline 10 2 THE HUTT RIVER 11 2.1 The Hutt catchment 11 2.2 Aspects of rainfall & streamflow 12 2.3 Morphology 14 2.4 Native fish 18 2.5 Sport fish 19 3 FRAMEWORK FOR INSTREA M FLOW ASSESSMENT 24 3.1 Regional Freshwater Plan (RFWP) 24 3.2 Critical values, benchmark flows & habitat retention 27 3.3 Instream flow objectives - conclusions 28 4 INSTREAM FLOW ASSESSMENT 29 4.1 Introduction 29 4.2 Water quality 29 4.3 Disturbance regime 30 4.4 Habitat modelling – approach, assumptions and limitations 31 4.5 Hydraulic geometry changes with flow 35 4.6 Existing flow regime – habitat relations 36 4.6.1 Methodology 36 4.6.2 Birchville existing flow 40 4.6.3 Silverstream existing flow 43 4.6.4 Taita existing flow 44 4.6.5 Melling existing flow 45 4.7 Naturalised flow habitat relations 46 4.7.1 Birchville naturalised flow 47 4.7.2 Silverstream naturalised flow 48 4.7.3 Taita naturalised flow 49 4.7.4 Melling naturalised flow 50 4.8 Median flow 51 4.9 Trout abundance model 51 5 WATER TEMPERATURE 54 6 FLOW VARIABILITY 61 7 DISCUSSION 62 7.1 Situation analysis 62 7.2 Lowered minimum flow at Kaitoke 62 7.3 Birchville minimum flows 63 Hudson 2010. Environmental Management Associates Report 2010-06 Hutt River Instream Habitat iv 7.4 Review of minimum flows 63 7.4.1 Percent WUA 63 7.4.2 Long flow records 63 7.4.3 Benchmark flows 64 7.4.4 Critical values & habitat retention levels 64 7.4.5 Existing flow habitat availability 65 7.4.6 Natural flow habitat availability 66 7.4.7 Conclusions on existing and natural flows 66 7.5 Other considerations 67 7.5.1 Water quality 67 7.5.2 Temperature 67 7.5.3 Flow variability-disturbance regime 68 7.5.4 Brown trout abundance model 68 8 CONCLUSIONS 68 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 69 REFERENCES 69 APPENDIX A: ASPECTS OF THE CLIMATE & HYDROLOGY 76 Climatic influences 76 Rainfall 76 Streamflow – existing regime 80 Naturalising flows 87 Natural flow estimates 89 APPENDIX B: HABITAT SUITABILITY CRITERIA 92 APPENDIX C: SELECTION OF HABITAT SUITABILITY CRITERIA 97 APPENDIX D: WUA-FLOW RELATIONS 99 List of Tables Table 1 MALF estimates from streamflow records & concurrent gaugings 1971-2006 (data from Wilson 2006 & Watts 2006) (L/s) ...................................13 Table 2 One day mean annual low flow (MALF) & naturalised one day mean annual low flow (N-MALF) estimates for Hutt River study sites 1971-2006 ...14 Table 3 Native fish in the Hutt River (based on national fisheries data base accessed May 2009) ...............................................................................................18 Table 4 Drift dive counts of large & medium brown trout in the Hutt River............21 Table 5 Suggested significance ranking of critical values and levels of habitat retention (Jowett & Hayes 2004) ...........................................................................28 Table 6 Habitat suitability criteria from RHYHABSIM................................................33 Table 7 Hutt River study site hydraulic geometry at various flow thresholds ........37 Table 8 Birchville habitat (WUA), flows required to retain habitat levels & surplus with 200 L/s additional abstraction ..........................................................43 Table 9 Silverstream habitat (WUA), flows required to retain habitat levels & surplus with 200 L/s additional abstraction ..........................................................44 Hudson 2010. Environmental Management Associates Report 2010-06 Hutt River Instream Habitat v Table 10 Taita habitat availability (WUA), flows required to retain habitat levels & surplus with 200 L/s additional abstraction ...........................................45 Table 11 Melling habitat availability (WUA), flows to retain habitat levels & surplus with 200 L/s additional abstraction ..........................................................46 Table 12 Birchville habitat (WUA), flows required to retain habitat levels & surplus/deficit with 200 L/s more abstraction with naturalised flow .................47 Table 13 Silverstream habitat (WUA), flows to retain habitat levels & surplus/deficit with 200 L/s more abstraction with naturalised flows ...............48 Table 14 Taita habitat (WUA), flows required